The University of Birmingham welcomes student parents and carers, and recognises it is an exciting and challenging experience being a student parent or carer. However, it can also be difficult to access the support and information needed, so we have brought together this information for you.
If you need a nursery place, you should contact the University nurseries as soon as possible, even before you’ve been offered a place to study at the University. The nurseries are a very popular provision and spaces can fill up months in advance.
You can also try other local nurseries:
Please note that we cannot recommend any local nurseries as we do not have personal experience of any of them.
The Guild also run the Selly Oak play scheme, Sundays 11-1pm, free of charge. This scheme is run by CRB-checked volunteers.
There are a number of additional sources of support available to students with children. You will not need to apply specifically for these; Student Finance England (or your relevant SLC agency) will calculate your entitlement when you apply for your student loan and maintenance grant. These means of support are non-repayable and are paid in three installments from the Student Loans Company along with your other statutory support payments.
You may also be able to apply to the Access to Learning Fund:
The Government also has information on the funding you can receive as a student parent
The University of Birmingham offers a variety of options for students and staff with families. The range of accommodation on offer can be found through the HAS website.
If you need additional financial support you may be able to apply to the Access to Learning Fund
The Student Funding Office can also provide information on the support available to you
The government provides information on other sources of funding. This includes the Local Authority Carers Grant and the Princes Royal Trust for Carers Bursary
The University of Birmingham has various accommodation options it offers students and staff with dependents. The range of accommodation on offer can be found through the HAS website.
The government provides information on the care support available while you are studying. This includes local council schemes and other organisations.
We are still developing this area and are keen for students who are carers of adults and need support to contact us.
The Student Parents and Carers Association at the University of Birmingham is a social and action group to forward the issues of and offer support to student parents and carers.
Did you know?
Recent research by the NUS (2008) found that student parents tend to be hard-working and passionate about education but can feel hampered by added responsibilities such as childcare and finances. Read more about the research.
